Surveillance technology has for years been used to identify people just by getting clear pictures of their faces. This kind of technology is becoming more and more of a reality as governments around the world expand their use of AI-enhanced surveillance infrastructure. (Related: Microsoft's AI chatbot goes haywire – gets depressed, threatens to sue and harm detractors.)

Police in the Netherlands use AI to match photos of suspects to criminal databases. In London, the Metropolitan Police use live facial recognition software to match faces to its database. The French government uses AI regularly to track so-called "suspicious behavior."

During the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the use of AI-enhanced surveillance tech spread rapidly. Companies all over the European Union began setting up cameras in their workplaces equipped with AI to check if employees and customers were complying with social distancing regulations. In France, facial recognition technology was used to monitor mask-wearing. Biometric surveillance was being normalized before people's very eyes.